Number of outbound visitor departures from China 2010-2024

China has become one of the driving forces in the global outbound tourism industry. In 2019, the number of outbound tourists from China reached nearly 155 million, almost three times as many as in 2010. However, the number of outbound tourists from China dropped to around 20.3 million in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was estimated that more than 87 million Chinese travelers went abroad in 2023 after border restrictions were removed, and the revenue of the Chinese tourism industry accounted for nearly eight percent of the GDP.

Tourism boost during Chinese New Year

Outbound tourism in China surged during the 2024 Spring Festival holiday, with Chinese tourists embarking on approximately 3.6 million overseas trips from February 10 to February 17. This uptick in tourism signifies the resurgence of the Spring Festival holidays as a peak season for global travel. Alipay revealed that its users' spending overseas during this period reached 107 percent of the 2019 level, demonstrating a substantial increase of 140 percent from 2023.

Driving Asia Pacific’s travel boom

Asia Pacific’s travel sector has recently experienced robust growth, with flight demand projected to return to pre-pandemic levels in 2024, largely due to an increase in Chinese tourists. The visa-free policy introduced by several Southeast Asian countries to attract more visitors from China is a major contributor to this trend. The top destinations for Chinese tourists during the New Year holiday included Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Indonesia.